Once again the CCAA participated in the annual Meet the Breed sponsored by the AKC at their National Championship in Orlando this past December. Since it was held in Florida it fell to me to oversee the project. Luckily I had Maria ready to go. Since she has spearheaded the effort for the last three years, she stepped right up and put everything together to make it happen. Nothing like a take charge type of women! We brought several of our coros as did other club members and everyone had fun talking "corso". Hundreds of people got to meet the breed first hand and many used this opportunity to help them decide whether a corso would be the right breed for them. We know at least one couple that decided to take the plunge! :-)

The West Volusia Kennel Club had its annual dog show in DeLand. This year they had a sanctioned Fast Cat event going on in conjunction with the conformation and dock diving. I figured it would be a good opportunity to get Ty out and see exactly how fast he could run the 100 yard course. Friday we ran him once and he turned in a very respectable 8.13 seconds. Pretty impressive for a 130 pound dog. He had so much fun we took him out Saturday and let him have a couple more goes at it. He was ready to go as soon as I put him in the truck. His first time out on the track was amazing! As soon as I let him go and saw him accelerating down the course I knew he was going to have a great run. I asked the time keeper, "How fast?" she said "7.94 seconds" Hot damn!! His next run was a little slower at 7.99 seconds but he still turned in a time under 8 seconds. That means his fastest run was 25.76 mph. Ty can Fly!

It's official! Ty is now in 2nd place right behind Black Pearl's Espresso. #2 in the country isn't bad! Since Espresso is a female, it also means that Ty has the fastest Fast Cat time in the country for a male corso. [Coursing Photos]

The Cane Corso Association of America has a new Regional VP for their southern region and that lucky individual is none other than yours truly. The CCAA Board of Directors approved my nomination for the position during their March board meeting. My primary mission will be to organize and oversee the Meet the Breed exhibition during the AKC National Championship held annually in Orlando FL. I will also be tasked with laying the groundwork for a Cane Corso Club of Central Florida. Central Florida has a large number of cane corso breeders and enthusiasts and we think we can make strides for the breed if we can bring these people together in an organization dedicated to promoting and advancing the breed. It's no small task and a lot of hurdles will need to be cleared before that can happen but the time and effort required will pay big dividends in the long run for everyone that wants to see the breed grow and prosper.

We're all volunteers at the CCAA. Most of us have full time jobs but we are all willing to spend what free time we have to advance the interests of the breed. These magnificent animals have been around for almost 2,000 years and we want to make sure they will be around for another 2,000 years. Together we can make that happen but only if we step up and make sure our voices are heard. I hope that I can contribute in this effort and I look forward to bringing together corso lovers from all across central Florida in this noble endeavour. 

Cheers,

Mark Avellino

Maria and two of our girls hit the streets of DeLand in the annual dog parade. Waving to the crowds as the Queen of Hearts while Varda and Nessa strutted along beside her as her foot soldiers, Maria took point for the West Volusia Kennel Club contingent as they hammed it up with their four legged friends. The theme was famous fairy tales and the all the members and their dogs were dressed up as their favorite characters. Besides the Queen of Hearts there was Peter and the Wolf, Peter Pan, Robin Hood, Rapunzel, the Little Mermaid, and many other childhood classics. A nice overcast sky kept things cool for all the people and dogs in costum and thousands of spectators cheered them on as they made their way through the heart of DeLand. Next year the theme will be famous movies. I can't wait to see what Maria comes up with for that. She loves dress up!

Part of being in the Breeder of Merit program is agreeing to allow random inspections of your breeding facility. Although having been breeding for a number of years and having the first Cane Corso to receive a Certificate of Merit when the AKC recognized the breed in 2010, we had never been inspected. Well, that changed this past January and we're proud to say our facility was deemed up to the high standards the AKC holds all Breeders of Merit to. I took particular pride in the fact the inspector was impressed with the new roof over the runs. I spent a lot of quality time up on that roof putting it together so it felt great to hear that. Definitely a silver lining to hurricane Matthew. Even our paperwork was completely up to standards. Frankly, reading and complying with AKC rules is a picnic compared to reading and complying with the Code of Federal Regulations. All that paper pushing at work certainly has payed off with this aspect of breeding dogs.

Feels good to have the AKC's official stamp of approval for our kennel. Can't wait to hear what they say once we've finished creating our corso paradise! Looking forward to the next inspection.